Buttrey Food & Drug was a chain of grocery stores founded in Havre, Montana and formerly headquartered in Great Falls, Montana. The company was founded in 1896 as a chain of department stores branded Buttrey Department Store. The company opened grocery stores in 1935 and sold off its department store division following a 1966 acquisition by The Jewel Companies, Inc. Jewel was sold to American Stores in 1984, and later Buttrey was sold off as a separate company in 1990. The company was sold to its main competitor, Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, in January 1998 and the Buttrey name was retired. At that time, Buttrey was operating 43 stores in Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota with a revenue of $391.4 million. History Founding The history of Buttrey can be traced back to 1896 when Frank A. Buttrey opened small store, selling clothing and groceries, in Aldridge, Montana, a short-lived mining town in Park County. Another store was opened at Trailcreek, in Flathead County, Montana in 1899. In 1902, Buttrey moved to Havre, Montana and opened a dry good and general merchandise store. Buttrey's business was incorporated as F.A. Buttrey Co. in 1909. In 1935, the company spun-off its grocery division to a separate company, Buttrey Foods, Inc. In 1944, F.A. Buttrey Co. acquired Berger Department Store in Great Falls, Montana. Five years later, Frank Buttrey died at age 80 in Havre. In 1954, Buttrey Foods moved its home office and its grocery distribution headquarters from Havre to Great Falls. At this time, Buttrey Foods owned 15 grocery stores across Montana. F.A. Buttrey Co. would soon follow the grocery chain to Great Falls in 1960. Acquisition by Jewel and American Stores In 1966, Buttrey Foods was acquired by Chicago, Illinois-based grocer Jewel Companies. The F.A. Buttrey Co. stores, which operated under the Buttreys Suburban banner and were not part of the Jewel deal, closed in 1976. In the years following the acquisition by Jewel, Buttrey Foods began opening Buttrey-Osco combination stores, which combined the products sold by Buttrey and Osco Drug. Soon after, Jewel Companies financed a far-flung expansion plan which added Buttrey stores to several new markets. In 1981, Buttrey operated 53 stores in Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. In June 1984, American Stores acquired Jewel Companies. The following year, Buttrey Foods took full ownership of all 31 Buttrey-Osco stores and rebranded them as Buttrey Food &